'Naked officials' being uncovered

But the reality is that some officials became "naked" after promotion and self-declarations of assets, requiring stringent background checks, may not be the most efficient, according to Xu Yaotong, professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance.

Huang Xianyao, discipline inspection commission secretary of Guangdong province, said that there are some officials who do not fully declare their assets. On top of this, some may have created a paper trail, making it more difficult to uncover their financial worth.

According to the newly revised regulations on election and appointment of leading cadres promulgated by the central government in January, "naked officials" should not be listed as candidates for any promotion opportunities, the first time the Party's central authorities had placed restrictions on the "naked officials".

Li Chengyan, director of the Center for Anti-corruption Studies of Peking University said, although "naked officials" are not necessarily corrupt, it makes it easier for corrupt behavior to take place.

According to the People's Supreme Procuratorate 2013 work report, 762 suspected officials who had been on the run were arrested last year, and the government retrieved approximately 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion). With China's accession to the UN Anti-Corruption Convention, increased efforts have been devoted to fighting corruption.

Guangdong has clearly taken a firm stand, and this was triggered by an inspection team dispatched by the country's top anti-graft agency in February. The team criticized what it said was an "outstanding" problem of "naked officials" in Guangdong, highlighting a situation that was quickly tackled.

Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission spokesman Mei Heqing said last week in Guangzhou that from January to May this year, 20 "naked officials" have been identified on the Guangzhou city management team, an increase of 122 percent from the previous year. Guangzhou, adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao, will also improve measures to strengthen passport management.

Dongguan has also targeted the officials, with 127 (19 prefecture level cadres and 108 civil servants) being repositioned. Six were town Party secretaries or mayors.

The city government conducted interviews with these officials. Deputy Secretary Si Qi of the Dongguan Municipal Organization Department said that some cadres initially considered the crackdown unreasonable, but when told of the reasoning behind it, they saw its merits.

Guangdong is also taking measures to boost the self-declaration process and checking.

Ding, deputy director at the Consultation Department of the Chinese Academy of Governance, suggested that the Guangdong authorities should include more detailed disclosure of information on the "naked officials", including their new positions. Since they hold public office, privacy concerns are secondary to the public's right to know, he said.

"I think we should learn from Russia," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the overseas assets of officials and said if these officials do not believe in the economy of their country, what is the use of them staying in Russia? When they do put money back to their own country, they will be committed to building and consolidating their financial and the Russian economic system, he said.

On April 2, 2013, Putin signed a presidential decree that civil servants must, within three months, close all overseas accounts and sell overseas assets. Failure to do so would lead to their dismissal.

Contact the author at zhanglei@chinadaily.com.cn